Shopping and Junking in the Coulee

[Editor’s note: Frankie will be reporting weekly on findings at local sales and culture right here. Let us know what you think, and don’t believe everything you read.]

Detective Frankie D. here with what some shoppers might consider extremely important news about the junking phenomenon in the Coulee Corridor, plus some other junkie comments thrown in for the heck of it. So it’s up to you to decide if what’s dished up here is extreme, important, or just plain junk.

First off, think back to those long gone days when shopping sales was simply finding the best deals on groceries and other stuff, either locally or whenever you could get out of the Coulee for a day of heavy-duty, city-wise shopping in Spo-ka-loo or Wenatchee. Now, any location that has goods for sale on the planet is within your reach, so bargain-shopping globally right from your very own abode has some advantages, I’m told.

Get this. Shopping in the Coulee cuts down on feeding the beasts, also known as spending your hard-earned cash on gas, and gives everybody operating in their shopping modes a chance to indulge in some close encounters with the goods. So, take a good look around the Coulee before you spend those bucks someplace else.

Bargain shopping is an art and if you’re a bargain shopper, you are shopping in a worldly way: you are moving throughout the five communities around Grand Coulee Dam on the hunt for that something special at a bargain price. You seek out those bargains at garage and yard sales during the sale season that usually starts in April and stops after Labor Day in September, or later if the weather holds.

A bit of detective work revealed that some best sellers in Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam so far have been diverse, such as purses, sports bags and backpacks that were top sellers in Mary’s front yard, with jewelry and DVDs selling out at Trudy’s sale across the street. Hardback books in excellent condition sold fast at the Grand Coulee Senior Center for a buck each and at a Coulee Dam yard sale too. Ladies’ and kids’ clothing, toys, and furniture and some choice decorating items found new homes with little to almost nothing paid out by some wheeling and dealing yard sale bargain shoppers.

A bunch of guys left their mancaves to follow car caravans up and down the streets, looking for what they call “guy stuff.” Some guys were seen loading up tools, and other mechanical things that mean somebody, someplace is going to do some “man-work.”

If you want to find out exactly what a junker, junkie or junkette is, read on next time.

And, by the way, there was a sighting in the Coulee for you to ponder when you’re not busy. Not long after the parade ended and most of the crowd went to North Dam Park, a gleaming, white stretch limo pulled up in front of the hot dog stand set up in front of Brandy’s Antique Shop.

The limo driver stepped got out and asked if we had any peanut butter and sliced banana sandwiches for sale. The answer was no, so he ordered a piece of fry bread, put some butter on it and walked over to the limo. When he tapped on the window, it opened part way and an arm encased in a white sleeve reached out. The man’s hand had four, large diamond rings shining brightly in Saturday’s sun. We caught a glimpse of a mane of dark hair and huge dark glasses and heard a man’s voice say, “Thank you very much.” The window closed up and the limo disappeared into the sunlight toward Coulee Dam.